Feeler mechanism for looms



A. E. RHOADES.

FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE-H, 1919.

1,416,51Q, I Patented May 15, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

E. RHOADES. FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE H, I919.

2 9 2 1 H 6 m H M a n h. M m d 2 e m Qmv mm 6 m P. V m VN mm in mm hm mm H J x mmam v airs stares ALONZO. E. RHIOADES, 015 HOPEDILLE,-MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER CORPO- RATION, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, AIQORPOB-ATION 0F IVIAINE.

Fasten ivincnjmisiu roe Looms.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 156, 1922.

Application filed ll'une 11, 1919. Serial in). 303,360.

To aZZ whom it may concern 1 Be it known that I, ALoNzo E. RHoAons, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hopedale, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Feeler Mechanism for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts;

The present invention relates to that class of automatic weft replenishing looms'wherein the weft or filling, as'it is sometimes called, is replenished prior to the'complete exhaustion of that in the shuttle, so that no blank. or partial picks occur in the finished fabric. Looms of this general type are commonly known as feeler looms, because ordinarily they are'equipped with a device which feels into the shuttle to detect the condition of the filling on fdetecting beats, and when the filling has reached substantial exhaustion, but prior'to complete exhaustion, the feeler device sets in operation the train of mechanism to efi'ectreplenishment of filling.

In the practical use of such feeler mechanisms there are numerous variable factors requiring consideration, and various attempts have heretofore been made to provide a feeler mechanism which will be'efi'ective to perform its desired function regardless of the variable factors involved. Some of these feelers have consisted of a finger or feeler member which would feel into the shuttle on a detecting beat and detect the amount of filling in the'shuttle bymeasuring the amount between the surface of the filling carrier and the surface of the filling engaged by the feeler. This difference is often very small and may only amount to one or two thicknesses of the filling itself.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a feeler mechanism-for looms which, measures orcalipersythe .diameter of the filling carrier and filling thereonas the latter approaches but priorto complete exhaustion thereof, thereby eliminating many of the variable factors which objectionably react upon the feeler mechanism and occasionally-cause prematureor too late operation thereof. In carrying the invention into. practical effect, the feeler member is provided with a yoke-like end formed by-fingers or projections separated in the d rectlon ofthe diameter of the filling carrier in. the shuttlfiuand it is supported in position independently of the lay to cause the end of the feeler member to enter the side of the shuttle and detect the condition of the fillingon each detecting heat. When a'workingv supply of filling is present in the shuttle, theends of the yoke or projections from the feeler member engage the filling mass, oneat each side of the longitudinal axis of the filling carrier, and as the lay the latter measure or caliper the diameter of the filling carrier and filling thereon, and through a train of mechanism efi'ect replenishment of filling.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 isa perspective view of a loom at the feeler, side, showing the present in vention associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the feeler mechanism, showing the action of the feeler and its associated parts when a working supply of filling is present in the shuttle; and

Fig. 8 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2, showing the action of the feeler and its associated parts when the filling is sub-stantially exhausted. a

The loom-frame 1 has connected thereto suitable brackets 2 for supporting the transverse or change shaft 3 from which rises the arm bhaving pivoted thereto at 5 the latch 6. The latch has an end portion which,

as will-later appear, is adapted to be struck by the weft hammer or cam follower 7 when replenishmenttof filling is called. Pivotally mountedat 8 onsuitable supports carried by,

the loom frame is the transmitter9 having an end portion 10 underlying the latch 6 (Fig.1), the other end of thetransmitter being pro vid ed with an adjustable bracket 11 having a slotted portion with an inclined wall 12 over which-is adapted to move, at times the controller 13. The controller 13 is pivotally mounted at 14 and is normally held-in its rearward or inoperative position by means of a spring or other. yielding means 15, which in the present instance is indicated as a coil spring placed about the pivot support 14.

Adjust-ably mounted "on 'the 10cm frame or a suitable bracket connected thereto: is a feeler stand 16 adjustable by the bolt and slot connection 17 to properly associate the feeler mechanism and relate it to the movement of the lay. The feeler stand 16 has a guide arm or guard 18 extending longi tudinally thereof, below which extends the end of the controller 13. Mounted for movement towardsand from the front of the 100m is a feeler support, which, in the present instance of the invention, comprises a slide 19 having a portion 20 within the feele'r stand 16. A spring 21 interposed between the portion 20 of the feeler slide and a part of the feeler stand, serves to normally maintain the feeler slide or support in its rearward or feeling position.

. Pivotally mounted on the feeler support or slide 19 at 22 is the actuator 23, "the end 24 of which is normally held raised by a spring actuated pin 25. Adjustably connected to the actuator 23 is the hunter 26, which,

in the present instance of the invention, passes through a lug 27 connected 'to the actuator, and is held in adjusted position by a lock nut 28, the construction being such that the hunter 26 is, under conditions to be hereinafter more fully explained, adapted to be struck by a part carried by the lay such as the shuttle wall, for instance, when the filling has reached substantial exhaustion and the feeler member enters further into the shuttle. The construction thus far described may be the same as that of the well known Draper feeler mechanism, shown for instance in the patent to Wood & Northrup No. 789,471, May 9, 1905.

Mounted on the feeler support or slide 19 is the feeler member 29 having the yokelike end portion which may be appropriately formed by the projections or fingers 30 and 31 separated in the direction of the diameter of the filling carrier "with which they coact.

The lay 32 and shuttle box 33 may be of usual construction as found in fillin'greplenishing looms, with the exception that the front wall 34 of the shuttle "b O X is rovided with an opening 35 adapted to register with an opening 36 in the side wall ofthe shuttle when the latter is in the hex at the 'fee'ler side of the loom substantially as indicated in Fig. 1.

It has heretofore been proposed to employ (a calipering feeler to feel for the filling in the shuttle body.

the filling carrier or bobbin and filling thereon at the critical moment or substantial. ex haustion of filling was so great that to cause the feeling action of such 'calipering f'eel'er through the side of the shuttle, would necessitate cutting the side of the shuttle through the top downward toward the base of the shuttle to an extent such as to weaken the structure and cause its rapid destruction in the operation of the loom. The present invention, therefore, has special adaptation in connection with feeler looms using cops in the shuttle, which being of less and more uniform diameter than the usual wooden bobbins, permit the use of the calipering feeler as hereinbefore described, entering the side of the shuttle through a slot such as 36, which does not materially weaken In Figs. 2 and the cop spindle 37 is shown with the cop or paper tube 38 thereon and the filling 39 supported by the tube and spindle. The shuttle 40 may be of the usual type having the usual holding aws, and the cop spindle 37 may be provided with a head 1 .1 having the jaw engaging rings thereon to permit the depleted carrier to be ejected and a full carrier substituted by the replenishing mechanism as well understood by those skilled in the art. I

From the construction described it will be seen that when a working supply of filling is present in the shuttle, the filling 39 (Fig. 2) will engage the ends of the yoke or fingers 31 and, as the lay moves forward in completing its beatup, the feeler niember and its support'will be moved frontvv'ardly, such frontward movement being "initiated prior to the engagement of the hunter 26 with, the wall of the shuttle.

lVhen, however, the filling has become substantia'lly exhausted as indicated in Fig. 8, and the 'fillm carrier and filling enter the yoke or between the fingers 30 and 81 of the feele'r member, the latter are moved further into the shuttle before it will parcompletes its 'frontward beat. Movement of the feeler frontwardly ispreferably effected when the filling enters between the fingers 30, 31 by pressure of the filling against the abutme'nts 30 31 formed by the curved inner surface extending from one finger to the other. By thus 'calipering or measur-' 'ing the diameter of the filling carrier and filling at the 'crltical time, or when a change of-"filling is desired, "the projections or fingers '30 or '31 will embrace between them thicknesses of filling at opposite sides of the axis of the filling carrier, thus more accurately measuring the amount of filling on the carrier.

What is claimed is c l. A. feeler mechanism for filling replenishing looms, comprising, in combination, a feeler mounted upon a fixed portion of the loom to enter the shuttle on a detecting beat through an opening in the side of the shuttle and provided with an integrally formed oke-like rear end adapted to pass into the shuttle through said opening and having the legs of the yoke relatively unyielding to caliper the diameter of the filling in the shuttle by entrance of the filling carrier between the spaced legs of the yoke-like end of the feeler when the filling is substantially exhausted,

a feeler slide for supporting the feeler for movement towards and from the front of the loom, a spring acting to normally maintain the yoke-like end of the feeler in its rear ward feeling position, an actuator pivotally mounted upon the slide, a bunter carried by the actuator to engage the side wall of the shuttle when the filling carrier passes into the yoke-like end of the feeler on a detecting beat, a controller adapted to be engaged by the actuator when the actuator is moved by the hunter, and means positioned by the controller to effect replenishment of filling.

2. A feeler mechanism for filling replenishing looms, comprising, in combina tion, a feeler mounted upon a fixed portion of the loom and having an integrally formed yokelike rear end adapted to enter the shuttle on a detecting beat through an opening in the side of the shuttle, the two legs of the yoke being relatively unyielding to caliper the diameter of the filling in the shuttle by entrance of the filling carrier into the yoke like end of the feeler when the filling is sub stantially exhausted on a detecting beat, a feeler slide supporting the feeler and mount ed for movement towards and from the front of the loom, a spring normally acting to maintain the yoke-like end of the feeler in rearward position to enter the side of the shuttle as the lay beats up on a detecting beat, an actuator movably mounted upon the slide and adapted to be moved to operative position upon the filling carrier passing into the yoke-like end of the feeler, a controller adapted to be engaged and positioned by the actuator when the latter is moved to its operative position, said yoke-like rear end' having abutments adapted to be engaged by the filling and moved frontwardly upon the filling carrier passing into the yoke-like rear end, and means positioned by the controller to effect replenishment of filling.

3. In a filling replenishing loom provided with a eop'supporting shuttle having a feeler receiving opening in a side of the shuttle, in combination, a feeler mounted upon a fixed portion of the loom and having an integrally formed yoke-like rear end, the two legs of the yoke being relatively unyielding to caliper the diameter of the filing in the shuttle by the entrance of the cop into the yoke like end of the feeler when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat, a feeler slide carrying the feeler and mounted for movement towards and from the front of the loom, a spring normally acting to maintain the yoke-like end of the feeler in rearward position to enter the side of the shuttle as the lay beats up on a detecting beat, an actuator pivotally mounted on the slide, a hunter carried by the actuator to engage the side wall of the shuttle when the filling carrying cop passes into the yoke-like end of the feeler on a detecting beat, a controller adapted to be engaged by the actuator when the actuator is moved by the bunter, a transmitter operated by the controller, and means positioned by the transmitter to effect replenishment of filling.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALONZO E. RHOADES. 

